In mid-September, human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson took the stage at the 30th-anniversary gala for the Equal Justice Initiative, the Montgomery, Alabama–based nonprofit he founded to provide legal representation to individuals who have been wrongfully convicted, unfairly sentenced or subject to prison abuse. The attendees assembled in a hotel…

As a teenager on the autism spectrum, Roxanne was home schooled during high school because she had been bullied in the younger grades. Because of that decision, her parents did not know that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) entitled Roxanne to services that would have helped her transition to gain work experience and a job. Then…

New Haven, Conn.(October 31, 2019) - The report Greater New Haven Community Index 2019: Understanding Well-Being, Economic Opportunity, and Change in Greater New Haven Neighborhoods was published today by DataHaven and a team of regional foundations, including The Community Foundation for Greater New…

Successful Outcomes for Parents and Children

In the early 1990s, a group of Yale Law students doing legal outreach at New Haven homeless shelters were routinely meeting teenage mothers who had dropped out of high school in order to care for their babies. The young future lawyers brainstormed solutions and approached New…

Lynchings formed the bloody backdrop of Southern life for a century after the Civil War. Between the 1860s and 1960s, thousands of black Americans were killed in public acts of racial terror. Millions more fled to cities in the North and West in an effort to escape this environment. Many soon discovered that, in many ways, …

There’s a quote that’s stuck with me for some time from Aaron Sorkin’sThe Newsroom: "You know why people don't like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so f***ing smart, how come they lose so goddamn always?"

American urbanists and bike advocates are smart, or at least well informed. We know how important cycling is. We are educated about cycling cities in other parts of the world and how they are so much better for health, well-being, economics,…

Navigating Main Streetsas Places: A People-First Transportation Toolkitprovides guid­ance to Main Street leaders, community advocates, local officials, transportation professionals, and everyone else in between on how to: 1) Evaluate streets and transportation through the lens of placemaking, 2) Balance the needs of mobility and other street activities, and 3) Build stronger relationships with other decision-makers and the…

America’s growing geographic divide is causing experts and policy-makers to revisit one of the most fundamental policy questions: When it comes to healing distressed places, should we favorpeople-based policiesthat essentially help residents relocate to more vibrant areas, or should we favorplace-based policiesthat focus on rebuilding the economies of distressed places and creating new and better jobs for people where…

New Haven boasts more than 90 tennis courts, ten swimming pools, three outdoor competition tracks, miles of trails, an extensive park system, a beach, gymnasiums, auditoriums, multiple professional stages and more. For more than two decades, Pequeñas Ligas Hispanas de New Haven has made the city’s extensive athletic and cultural resources accessible…

As a nonprofit, it’s important to spread your message with as many people as possible to encourage awareness, support and donations. Among the many platforms you can use to reach your desired audience, a blog is one of the most effective...…

Derek Avery owns COIR Holdings with his wife Bianca. At a glance, the company might look like any other developer, but it is committed to providing middle- and low-income housing in struggling neighborhoods. And not only that: when building in a neighborhood, the company doesn’t stop at housing. It takes a holistic approach by building education resources and investing in…

New Haven —Acuity Brands, with its wraparound view of the city from its 15th-floor home at the Century Tower Building, an engineering staff that is pulling in local talent, and its workers’ appreciation of the lifestyle amenities downtown, is a…

If you live in New Haven and want to adopt a free tree, URI's GreenSkills team is happy to come plant one in your front curbstrip, thanks to a partnership with the City of New Haven's Department of Parks, Recreation, and Trees!

Neighborhoods: What is Working

Open Street Project

By Ryan O’Connor, Director of Programs, 8 80 Cities Recently 8 80 Cities wrote a blog post about open streets being a labour of love. That being the case, the 2018 Open Streets Summit in New Orleans felt like a family reunion of sorts. It was rejuvenating to see old and new friends who share our passion for open streets and are working tirelessly to create healthier, happier, and more connected communities across the world. The event, which took place on September 15-16, brought together more than 50 leaders who currently organize open streets programs or are interested in bringing the...

We hope you are getting ready and feel excited about the Open Streets Summit in Gretna/New Orleans! Taking place from September 15-16, 2018, the Summit will feature tours, presentations and networking opportunities with open streets champions and organizers from across the continent. Attendees will learn about the nuts and bolts of starting or scaling up open streets programs, including: Route design and planning Partnerships with business and officials Social inclusion Safety and logistics Marketing and promotion Program evaluation through measurable goals and metrics If you haven’t done it yet, click here to register for the Open Streets Summit only or...

The Open Streets Project is proud to announce that Ed Solis from Viva Calle (San Jose, CA), Romel Pascual from CicLAvia (Los Angeles, CA), Jaymie Santiago and Charles Brown from New Brunswick Ciclovia will join us as speakers for the 2018 Open Streets Summit in New Orleans and Gretna! Taking place from September 15-16 2018, the Summit will feature: Behind the scenes tour of the City of Gretna’s inaugural open streets program. Workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities with open streets champions and organizers from across the continent. Training and inspiration for both -novice and experienced- open streets organizers and supporters...

Local Initiatives Support Corporation

Jonathan Quarles is a Flint, MI small business owner who received a $10,000 grant from LISC and Verizon to help weather the pandemic's economic crisis. His business is a story worth telling: Quarles harvests and distributes clean water from the atmosphere, creating jobs, opportunity and "empowering the city that raised me" in the bargain.

LISC stands in unity with the protests that are sweeping our country, and their core message—that every life is sacred, says Maurice A. Jones, LISC’s president and CEO, in a video message. We are committed, he affirms, to continuing the work to dismantle structural racism and create an equitable America for all.

In his latest video message, LISC CEO Maurice A. Jones reflects on the disproportionate health and economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on underinvested communities and communities of color, and calls for a 21st-century Marshall Plan—intensive and broad investment that will both help people and enterprises recover, and redress the inequities that set the stage for the fallout of the current crisis.